Strip holder for index board



Nov. 8, 1966 R. G. HENTIG 3,283,430

STRIP HOLDER FOR INDEX BOARD Filed Jan. 8, 1965 INVENTOR.

United States Patent 3,283,430 STRIP HOLDER FOR INDEX BOARD Raymond G. Hentig, 2061 Coit NE., Grand Rapids, Mich. Filed Jan. 8, 1965, Ser. No. 424,296 Claims. (Cl. 40-124) This invention relates to improvements in visible record equipment, and more particularly to a holder for changeable strips carrying indicia, said holder being especially useful in offset printing and similar activities.

A main object of the invention is to provide a novel and improved visible record assembly employing changeable indicia-bearing strips, such as cards carrying means or other data to be listed, in a specific order, the assembly involving relatively simple components, being arranged so that the strips therein may be rapidly and easily changed when necessary, and being arranged to hold the changeable strips firmly and securely without requiring the use of special snap fasteners or similar types of fasteners or of specially cut record cards.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved visible record device especially useful in offset printing and similar activities, said device being inexpensive to fabricate, being durable in construction, and being arranged so that items can be added, deleted, or changed without interrupting their numerical or alphabetical order.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved index record strip holder adapted to carry a series of record strips or cards carrying names or similar data, arranged in a desired order, the device being relatively compact in size, being light in weight, being neat in appearance, and being arranged so that items can be added, removed or changed in order, as desired, easily and rapidly.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following description and claims, and from the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a perspective view of an improved visible record strip holder constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIGURE 2 is an enlarged fragmentary transverse vertical cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 22 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is an enlarged horizontal cross sectional view taken substantially on the line 3-3 of FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 4 is a perspective view showing one of the strip carriers and a typical record strip, as employed in the visible record device of FIGURES l to 3.

FIGURE 5 is a perspective view showing the forward appearance of the strip carrier of FIGURE 4.

FIGURE 6 is a horizontal cross sectional view showing the manner in which the strip carriers are inserted in the main frame member of the visible record device of FIG- URES 1 to 5.

Referring to the drawings, 11 generally designates an improved visible record assembly constructed in accordance with the present invention. The assembly 11 comprises a generally rectangular tray-like rigid main frame 12 of any suitable material, such as sheet metal, molded plastic material, or the like, said main frame 12 having the generally rectangular rear wall 13, the top and bottom walls 14 and 15 and the respective side walls 16 and 17 provided with inturued flanges 18. As shown in FIGURE 1, the peripheral walls 14, 15, 16 and 17 are relatively narrow so that the tray-like body 12 is very shallow.

The body 12 is adapted to receive a plurality of horizontally extending strip carriers 20, said strip carriers comprising horizontally elongated integral strips of suitable material, such as extruded plastic material, each member 20 comprising a plate-like main portion 21 formed with a thickened lower rib or flange 22 having an 3,283,430 Patented Nov. 8', 19 66 of the front surface 24 and the adjacent vertical surface of the plate-like main body 21.

The members 20 are substantially the same length as the distance between the side walls 16 and 17 so that they will be retained at their end portions behind the flanges 18 when they are inserted horizontally in the tray-like frame member 12. The members 20 are relatively flexible so that they may be inserted in the frame 12 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 6, namely, by flexing them sufliciently to engage the opposite end portions of said members 20 beneath the flanges 18. As shown in FIGURE 2, the members 20 are inserted in the frame with the surfaces 24 of the thickened portions 22 in engagement with the forwardly facing surface of rear wall 13, whereby the main body portions 21 of the strip carrier members 20 extend upwardly and forwardly, being inclined outwardly from the vertical. The beveled bottom edges 23 of the members 20 are receivable in the V-shaped grooves or recesses defined at the edge surfaces 25 of the subjacent members 20 in the manner illustrated in FIGURE 2.

As shown in FIGURE 2, the inclination of the surfaces 24 with respect to the associated plate-like elements 21 of the respective members 20 is relatively small, so that when the carriers 20 are assembled in the frame 12, the

.top edges of the elements 21 are substantially located inside the plane of the flanges 18, 18 and also inside the walls 14 and 15.

When the members 20 are assembled in the frame 12 in the manner above described, they overlap in a manner such that a substantial portion of each element 21 is exposed above the top edge of the element 21 of the subjacent strip carrier 20. Therefore, a record strip 30, such as is illustrated in FIGURES 1, 2, and 4 may be inserted between each pair of overlapping elements 21, the strips 30 being substantially the same in height as the carriers 20 so that said strips are supported in the spaces between the elements 21 with their upper marginal portions exposed, and may be of suflicient height so that their bottom edges are engaged in the bottom ends of the V- shaped recesses defined between the surfaces 25 and the associated elements 21 of the respective carrier members 20. The exposed upper marginal portions of the strips 30 may carry names, addresses, telephone numbers, or similar data to be listed, and the record strips 30 may be arranged in any desired order, for example, alphabetical or numerical order, as required. The card-like strips 30 may be easily inserted or removed, either individually, or along with their associated carriers 20. When the carriers 20 are thus removed, the remaining carriers may be readjusted vertically because they are slidable between the flanges 18, 18. Thus, any desired number of carriers 20 may be employed, in accordance with the number of record strips 30 to be supported and displayed.

The record strips 30 may be of any desired length, since they are held between adjacent relatively flexible members 21, 21, and the record strips 30 may be of cardboard, paper, or any other suitable material.

As above pointed out, the elements 21 are of suflicient height so that they will be retained within the plane of the flanges 18, 18 while allowing the inclined surfaces 24 to mate with and slidably engage the inside surface of the main wall 13 of frame 12. A strip carrier 20 may be easily removed by flexing its intermediate portion outwardly sufliciently to disengage its ends from the retaining flanges 18, 18, thereby allowing the carrier to be readily removed. The carrier can be reinserted by following a reverse procedure.

The record strips 30 may be made of index card stock paper to fit the lengths of the'carriers 20,?anil may be shorter than such lengths, as above mentioned. The information on the strips 30 may be inscribed in any suitable manner, such as by typing the information thereon. Thus, to set up a visible record assembly for reproduction, for example, by the offset method, the required number of strip carriers 20 are inserted in the frame 12 and the corresponding record strips 30 carrying the information to be listed are then inserted in the desired order. The order may be changed or lines may be deleted in the manner above described.

It will be noted that the lowermost record card or strip 30 may be retained at its ends by the flanges 18, 18 with its upper marginal portion engaged against the outer surface of the plate-like main body 21 of the lowermost strip carrier 20.

While a specific embodiment of an improved visible record strip holder for use in offset printing and similar activitieshas been disclosed in the foregoing description, it will be understood that various modifications within the spirit of the invention may occur to those skilled in the art. Therefore, it is intended that no limitations be placed on the invention except as defined by the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A visible record device comprising a rigid board having a bottom flange, side walls, and opposing inturned flange elements on said side walls, and a plurality of horizontally extending strip carriers engaged against said board, each strip carrier comprising a horizontally elongated plate-like main body having its ends received behind said inturned flange elements, each strip carrier being integrally formed with a thickened lower portion having a surface diverging upwardly relative to its plate-like main body and engaged against the board, whereby to hold the plate-like main body in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, the strip carriers being mounted on the board in horizontally overlapping relationship with each thickened lower portion received between the board and the plate-like main body of the subjacent strip carrier and being adapted to receive record strips therebetween with the upper marginal portions of said record strips exposed.

2. A visible record device comprising a rigid board having a bottom flange, side walls and opposing inturned flange elements on said side walls, and a plurality of horizontally extending strip carriers engaged against said board, each strip carrier com-prising a horizontally elongated plate-like main body having its ends received behind said inturned flange elements, each strip carrier being integrally formed with a thickened lower portion having a surface diverging upwardly relative to its plate-like main body and engaged against the board, whereby to hold the plate-like main body in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, the strip carriers being mounted on the board in horizontally overlapping relationship with each thickened lower portion received between the board and the plate-like main body of the subjacent strip carrier and being adapted to receive record strips therebetween with the upper marginal portions of said record strips exposed, each strip carrier being formed with a longitudinal recess between its main body and the top of its thickened lower portion adapted to receive the bottom edge of an adjacent strip carrier.

3. A visible record device comprising a rigid board having a bottom flange, side walls, and opposing inturned flange elements on said side walls, and a plurality of horizontally extending strip carriers engaged against said board, each .strip carrier comprising a horizontally elongated plate-like main body having its ends received behind 4 said inturned flange elements, each strip carrier being integrally formed with a thickened lower portion having a surface diverging upwardly relative to its plate-like main body and engaged against the board, whereby to hold the plate-like main body in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, the strip carriers being mounted on the board in horizontally overlapping relationship with each thickened lower portion received between the board and the plate-like main body of the subjacent strip carrier and being adapted to receive record strips therebetween with the upper marginal portions of said record strips exposed, each strip carrier being formed with a V-shaped longitudinal recess between its main body and the top said inturned flange elements, each strip carrier being integrally formed with a thickened lower portion having a surface diverging upwardly relative to its plate-like main body and engaged against the board, whereby to hold.

the plate-like main body in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, the strip carriers being mounted on the board in horizontally overlapping relationship with each thickened lower portion received bet-ween the board and the plate-like main body of the subjacent strip carrier, and record strips engaged between the strip carriers and being of suflicient height so that their upper portions are exposed.

5. A visible record device comprising a rigid board 1 having a bottom flange, side walls and opposing inturned flange elements on said side walls, a plurality of horizontally extending strip carriers engaged against said board, each 'strip carrier comprising a horizontally elongated plate-like main body having its ends received behind said inturned flange elements, each strip carrier being integrally formed with a thickened lower portion having a surface diverging upwardly relative to its,plate-.

like main body and engaged against the board, whereby to hold the plate-like main body in an upwardly and forwardly inclined position, being mounted on the board in horizontally overlapping relationship with each thickened lower 'portion received between the board and the platelike main body of the subjacent strip carrier, each strip earlier being formed with a V-shaped longitudinal recess bet-ween its main body and the top of its thickened lower portion, and each strip carrier having a beveled;

bottom edge nestingly receivable in the V-shaped recess of the subjacent strip carrier, and record strips engaged that their upper portions are exposed above the top edges of the main bodies of the subjacent strip carriers.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 652,771 7/1900 Harte 40-124 2,963,808 12/1960 Guichard 40-124 FOREIGN PATENTS 346,057 6/1960 Switzerland.

EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

W. I. CONTRERAS, Assisitant Examiner.

the strip carriers. 

1. A VISIBLE RECORD DEVICE COMPRISING A RIGID BOARD HAVING A BOTTOM FLANGE, SIDE WALLS, AND OPPOSING INTURNED FLANGE ELEMENTS ON SAID SIDE WALLS, AND A PLURALITY OF HORIZONTALLY EXTENDING STRIP CARRIERS ENGAGED AGAINST SAID BOARD, EACH STRIP CARRIER COMPRISING A HORIZONTALLY ELONGATED PLATE-LIKE MAIN BODY HAVING ITS ENDS RECEIVED BEHIND SAID INTURNED FLANGE ELEMENT, EACH STRIP CARRIER BEING INTEGRALLY FORMED WITH A THICKENED LOWER PORTION HAVING A SURFACE DIVERGING UPWARDLY RELATIVE TO ITS PLATE-LIKE MAIN BODY AND ENGAGED AGAINST THE BOARD, WHEREBY TO HOLD THE PLATE-LIKE MAIN BODY IN AN UPWARDLY AND FORWARDLY INCLINED POSITION, THE STRIP CARRIERS BEING MOUNTED ON THE BOARD IN HORIZONTALLY OVERLAPPING RELATIONSHIP WITH EACH THICKENED LOWER PORTION RECEIVED BETWEEN THE BOARD AND THE PLATE-LIKE MAIN BODY OF THE SUBJACENT STRIP CARRIER AND BEING ADAPTED TO RECEIVE RECORD STRIPS THEREBETWEEN WITH THE UPPER MARGINAL PORTIONS OF SAID RECORD STRIPS EXPOSED. 